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We all need advice, a helping hand, a guide. And that’s when we can turn to someone with more experience, who’s been there and done it, so that, hopefully, we can avoid the common mistakes and pitfalls.

Whether you’re just starting out, or already seasoned in publishing, there’s always more to learn. Technology and the internet changes so rapidly, and strategies that worked yesterday, don’t always work today. As authors, we can never stop learning and adapting. But with that, comes the feeling that we’re still inexperienced, still naive, just stumbling blindly along the path, and it can be all too easy to follow those ahead of you, blindly, assuming they know exactly where they’re going.

These people, and their advice, aren’t difficult to find. There are countless podcasts and blogs and books covering just about every aspect of writing, publishing, and book marketing you can imagine, and even some that you hadn’t yet thought of.

For the most part, they know exactly where they’re going, and you can happily follow them. But it’s worth bearing in mind that sometimes, their destination might be different to yours, or, even if it’s the same destination, their route might be different to the one you wanted to take. And occassionally, you’ll meet one of those people who speak with absolute assuredness, but they’re actually completely lost.

So, how can you tell the difference? How do you know when to follow, and when to make your own path?

For one, trust your instincts. Will they always be right? No. But if you stay true to yourself, and to the kind of author you want to be, you can’t go too far wrong.

And second, don’t be scared to make mistakes. We all do. All the experts have too. And we learn far more, and far quicker from our own mistakes than we do from other people’s. No one has a flawless journey, there will be roadblocks and detours, dead ends and circular routes, but if you remember where you want to go, you can find your way back.

Always stay open to advice, to trying new things, to being persuaded and changing your mind. Always. But listen to your gut too. You’re a lot smarter than you realise.

I can hardly believe that we’re only two months into the year; 2018 has been crazy busy, and crazy productive too.

On Tuesday, the ebook version of The Smudger, the first book of my Memory Trader series, is released (the paperback is already available) across Amazon and other retailers. This will mark the first release of 2018, and the first of a dizzying planned publishing schedule for the year.

The Memory Trader series has come about in something of a whirlwind. I spent a full month developing the world and the story, before writing The Smudger as part of NaNoWriMo last November. It was edited, beta read, and edited again over just two months before the paperback was published at the end of January. And it’s follow-up, The Sister, is on an equal pegging speed-wise. I started writing it on February 1st, and the wordcount is currently pushing rapidly towards 40k.

It’s been so easy to write, with the story simply flowing out of me. I’m so excited about this world, about the characters that inhabit it, about the stories they have to tell. I wish I knew why, I wish I had discovered some amazing secret method of writing, but all I can say is that it was just the right book at the right time for me. If only I got bottle this somehow, and drink it on the days the words come like blood from a stone.

So, overall, February has been a great month, just like January was. I’m really looking forward to seeing what March will bring…!

One morning, I was desperately trying to get my five year old to do his homework, and he, as usual, was coming up with every excuse he could think of, ending with “I need my socks on.”

“You don’t need socks to write!” I replied, chalking it down as yet another one of those sentences I never imagined I’d ever have to say to another human being. But it got me thinking, and, actually, it’s very good writing advice.

Some people wait for the perfect conditions to write. Whether that be an active muse, a quiet house, a private space, the right weather, the moon in their star sign, whatever their particulars are. I’ve done it myself. Put off writing because I didn’t feel right, or the house was noisy, or the table was messy.

The truth is, as with most things, there is no perfect time, and if you sit around waiting for this magical moment, you’ll never write a word. Sometimes, you just need to sit down (or perch somewhere, or stand, or whatever) and get some words out of you. They may not be perfect words, they may not be any good at all, but the more that come, the better they will get. Who was it who said you can’t edit a blank page?

So don’t fret over the particulars; don’t worry if the sun isn’t right, or your chair is a little uncomfortable, or your coffee is a little cold, just write. Get some words out. Wonderful, imperfect, foolish, misspelt words. And remember: you don’t need socks to write.

This post was written as part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. If you want to visit the other IWSG member blogs, or sign up yourself, you can do so here.

I’ve felt determined for a long time. Years and years. But despite my burning sense of determination, I just wasn’t managing to get things done. There was always something conspiring against me. I was too busy with the kids, or I didn’t have somewhere quiet to write, or the muse just wasn’t with me. I was a victim of circumstance. I wanted to do it, but there was too much against me.

I wailed about it on social media, grumbling about how blessed other people were with their writing nooks, their school-age children, their luxury of free time when I had none. They were lucky. I, however, was not.

It has taken a long time, a good number of pep talks, and a whole load of failure for me to finally figure out my problem. There is a difference between feeling determined and being determined. And the difference is action.

There’s no big secret here, no grand revelation, and there is definitely no luck involved. It’s about changing your mindset. It’s taken me years, and I feel so foolish for taking so long to realise it. Feeling determined is not being determined. I’ve only just come to understand that.

Last year, something clicked. And, you know what? Over the last few months I have not stopped. Not for a second. I am constantly on the go. Insanely busy. But it’s productive busy, happy busy, exciting busy.

The old me was busy too. But that was I-don’t-have-time-for-this busy. That was not even trying to write because I knew my toddler wouldn’t grant me anything close to an hour of peace and quiet. That was thinking anything less wasn’t worth the bother. That was feeling determined.

New me writes two sentences on the way back from the toilet. New me types while she’s eating lunch. New me takes a notebook and pen to toddler groups. New me writes like the wind while her toddler naps because he might sleep for four hours, or four minutes. New me doesn’t wait for the muse. New me grabs her by the throat and says “Now!” And sometimes the words flow, and sometimes it’s like pulling teeth, and sometimes it’s the worst thing I’ve ever written. But I do it anyway. That’s being determined.

I’ve recently started setting a 5am alarm. I get up and write while the kids are still asleep. When I posted about it on social media, I got a number of people telling me I was ‘lucky’ to get an hour of peace and quiet in the morning. I smiled at that. That’s what I used to say to other people. But it’s not luck. It’s getting up at 5am. It’s not waiting for my muse to show up. It’s writing while the kettle’s still boiling. It’s getting words down no matter what. Because some mornings I do get an hour before my boys get up. Other mornings I get two minutes. But two productive minutes are better than ten minutes of waiting for the perfect moment.

So much has already happened, and we’re not even a full month into 2018 yet. It’s definitely setting up to be a crazy busy year!

I’m currently on track with my goals for the year, with The Smudger already up for pre order on Amazon and other retailers, ready to release on 27th February. It’s still more than a month before its release, but it’s already garnered some fantastic reviews from early readers over on Goodreads. I’ve got some exciting plans to really boost its release, and it really feels like I know what I’m doing this time, like I’m not just fudging it as I go. I like that feeling.

The plotting is going well for book 2, although a little slower than I would like. But I’m just impatient to get started on writing it. These books, the characters, the world, I’m just so excited about them. I want to dive into the story again.

Today, three days earlier than I expected, I received the paperback proof of The Smudger, and it is a truly beautiful thing. It’s so sad that all the fonts get lost in the ebook, because the paperback is stunning both inside and out. That’s why I’m a lover of hard copies, of actual books. The spine and the back of the book are gorgeous too, and you lose it all with an electronic copy. So, all in all, January has turned out pretty great.

Last year saw the completion of my set goal: to write and release the full Paper Duchess series of books. So what now?

2018 has arrived with a whole head full of ideas and plans and goals. In fact, it’s more than one head’s worth. They’re pretty much pouring out of my ears! And every time I think I’ve fitted them into my schedule for the year (yes, I’ve actually scheduled the entire year!), up pops another idea. It’s starting to get pretty crazy! So, I guess it’s time to get started…

First up this year will be the release of The Smudger, the first book in The Memory Trader series. That means new stories, new characters, and an entire new world to explore. The book is currently out with beta readers and should be ready for a late February release.

After that, it’s book 2 of the series, currently titled The Scratch, with a proposed release date of late April. It’s gonna be hectic, but I think I can do it. These books are proving so much fun to write, and I’m totally in love with the characters and the world they inhabit, so that makes things a lot easier.

Next in the schedule is a project I’m not ready to talk about yet. I’m hoping to launch it in the summer, so you’ll have to wait a bit to hear more about that.

The end of the summer will hopefully see another book release, a full-length novel set in the same world as my book After: A Post Apocalyptic Story Collection. Its working title is When They Returned, but that’s definitely going to change (because, frankly, it’s rubbish!)

I’ll be wrapping up the year with a book that’s been rattling around my head for over a year now. It keeps getting pushed back and pushed back as other projects come to the fore. It’s a standalone book, so it’s become something of a forgotten child. It will be called The Notary of Gotliss Street, and is planned for an early December release.

There you have it: my crazy busy 2018. Of course, somewhere in all this I still have to eat, sleep, oh yeah, and be Mummy to my two boys!